This picture, I think, demonstrates what kids with ADHD may feel.  One of the teachers I sat under for many years, a mentor type would always say, “Kids behave well if they can.”  Ultimately, these kids have a different way that their brain works.  Their brains are wired differently and they can’t just “try harder”.  They need help and strategies to overcome the impulses to act.

ADHD- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurological disorder; it’s most common cause is hereditary. Factors that contribute include: fetal exposure to toxic substances (alcohol or tobacco), exposure to lead, trauma to the head/brain from illness or injury.  Personally I also think about all the environmental toxins that are surrounding us as well. Ultimately there are differences in the way the brain controls attention and control. Here’s an interesting picture of the differences.

http://newideas.net/adhd/neurology

http://www.myadhd.com/causesofadhd.html

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/adhd/DS00275

http://www.help4adhd.org/about/statistics

Prevalence in America:  American Psychiatric Association (APA) quotes that 3-7% of students in K-12 schools have ADHA, however some other states say it may be as high as 9%. There has been an increase of about 5.5% each year since 2003 to 2007.  Part of this may be due to the change in criteria. There is a great article accessed by the following Center for Disease Control site.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html

Symptoms include inattention or hyperactivity and impulsivity severe enough that general functioning in school or work place, life, is near impossible.  Easily Distracted, may have a hard time following directions, poor short-term memory

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/complete-index.shtml

Treatments:

Combined or Multi Modal – looking at combining medical, cognitive/educational and behavioral treatments

Behavior Treatments – structuring environment – token rewards or time-out

Medications – stimulant or non-stimulant meds

Cognitive Behavior interventions – teaching self-control and other cognitive behavior strategies through modeling and role-playing for the person to help manage their impulses, and inattention

Clinical Behavior Therapy – therapy to train parents, teachers and caregivers to help the child learn strategies and teaching through token economies and positive rewards

Contingency Management – intensive behavior management training usually in a clinical or specialized school setting

Intensive Behavior Treatments – often intense weeks of “camp” to train students on behaviors with follow through expected from families

Biofeedback or Neurological training – using EEGs and mental activities to help train the brain how to perform – to shape the brain how to self-regulate

http://www.denverneurofeedback.com/

Nutritional Supplements and dietary restrictions etc. are controversial treatments that I lean t0ward first. I recently critiqued the website newideas.net.  As far as I can tell it looks like they are selling specific supplements, however there are many articles and links to research that is useful to look at if you are interested in non-medication helps.

http://newideas.net/adhd/research/essential-fatty-acids.

http://www.myadhd.com/treatmentsforadhd.html

Most sites will say that the only thing that is scientifically proven through clinical research trials is medication. However this is usually because meds are the only thing that can easily be researched.  It is much more varied to have a control and a test group.   However the side effects of medications there seem to be some things that I would not want my child to go through, unless I have tried everything else.

List of disabilities — clicking on the link on the name will give you a wide array of links and articles, none that I am saying are good or bad, so use discretionary. In the posts to come I’ll speak more specifically on each disability and what I’ve learned as a teacher.

• Developmental Disabilities
  • ADD/ADHD
  • Asperger Syndrome
  • Autism
  • Down syndrome
  • Dyslexia
• Mental Disabilities
  • Dyscalculia
  • Learning Disabilities
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Physical Disabilities
  • Visual Impairment
    • Blindness
  • Mobility Impairment
    • Cerebral Palsy
    • Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
    • Muscular Dystrophy (MD)
  • Head Injury
    • Traumatic Brain Injury

This post is specifically for the USA however as I have traveled I know the impact the USA has on the world, especially since internet and TV/cable are mostly worldwide.  I have begun to change the lifestyle of my family to be organic non GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) and as local as possible.  We have bought into Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms for our produce and have found a local to our state ranch with grass fed, free range cattle.  As I teach and continue to see the statistics rise of especially developmental disabilities like those on the Autism Spectrum as well as ADD/ADHD in the recent years, I can’t but look at our environment.  How are we polluting our environment and our bodies that we may not even know?   As I read and find out more about our food system, movies like Food Inc., Fast Food Nation, Supersize Me show some of the depravities we have gone to in the USA to have bigger, cheaper food and demanded it all the time so that we have gotten so far away from the source of food.  We in the USA can buy any fruit or vegetable or meat whenever we want, almost as much as we want.  Do you not think there are consequences for our actions?

There is information about mercury that comes from factories and other sources into the air which we and the plants we eat breathe. . . The link is a US government article about mercury and the toxicity in fish.  Not that I believe everything the government tells me, because if I did then I would put all my trust in the FDA to tell me what’s good or not.  I do not; I want to see my food growing and know the people who grow it from the ground, not just in factories.

Here’s a great list and links to resources of everyday toxins that we are constantly exposed to. There are people out there who want to make a difference and see a difference.  I wonder how many children would be helped with a change of diet that would get rid of all these harmful toxins and input the right healthy things to intake.  The difficulty is that these everyday toxins are all around us.  I again have switched not just food, but also cosmetics to things that are healthy ingredients.  Many people think I am crazy, but if it helps keep my family healthy that’s my goal.  Granted this is a journey and like anything there are times when I crave something that my head tells me I should not eat.  So I’m not saying I’m perfect by any means, I’m just saying that there are some easy switches that would lower the exposure of pesticides and other things getting into our body that research or not I see connections with.  There are organizations that are researching these things and as you look through some of these links you’ll come across them, however again the internet is much overloaded with information, so look carefully.

Environmental Working Group – take a look into the cosmetics you put on your skin every day, there are thousands of toxins linked to deformations, cancer and possibly other disabilities.  There is a database that EWG has put together to dissect each market product and ingredients that the FDA considers “safe” for cosmetics.

For more that I’ve written about why I have chosen to go organic and make different choices on cosmetics and cleaning supplies, see my post on “Why I went no poo and make my own cosmetics” on our home blog Kickmo.wordpress.com. As I learn more I will post more information.

I’m pushing back the posts on specific disabilities to show some recent footage videos I’ve come across.   In viewing these I realized like many events in history there are people who want us to forget and ignore somethings of the past.  I want to make sure we do not forget how far America has come in accepting people with disabilities as humans but also encourage that we look at where we can continue to improve on helping people with disabilities become partners in society.

So here’s two videos, the first one is a clip from a much larger one produced called Willowbrook: the Last Disgrace. During a time when laws had gone into effect to better the treatment and quality of life of individuals with disabilities, this was a facility where people were being treated very poorly.  It’s shameful, but I want you to know where we have come from.

http://youtu.be/k_sYn8DnlH4

Knowing now, where we have come from, know that there are many students and adults who are not getting the help or the human rights they deserve; here’s a video put together by Norman Kunc who advocates for people with disabilities on a very large-scale to be fully included into the public school setting.  This video always makes me think of students and people I know with disabilities and makes me want to include them, not only in school, but in life.

http://youtu.be/SKCxwDF-SrI

Grant, Carl A. and Maureen Gillette  “A CANDID TALK TO TEACHER EDUCATORS ABOUT EFFECTIVELY PREPARING TEACHERS WHO CAN TEACH EVERYONE’S CHILDREN”.  Journal of Teacher Education Vol. 57, No. 3, May/June 2006 10.1177/0022487105285894.

The next few posts are going to try to be specific about various categories and diagnoses that are out there and how education can help the people with those, I am also going to try to find real stories of success to encourage those to not view themselves as having a disability, but a different-ability.

Part of my passion for writing this is to put myself out there as being in districts and schools and wanting to work with parents of kids who have special needs, although finding my hands tied so often.  I feel that I often cannot truly help the student as much as I desire due to push back from many other places.  I want to be able to help parents know how to effectively advocate for their children, without being ostracized from the teachers, who easily become defensive and put up walls when they feel threatened.

In my field, visualization is so necessary for my students, so I too try to use and relate to visual images. Here’s a picture to give a visual to what I’m talking about.  Starfish live in the ocean, yet they must come ashore occasionally. When we saw this little guy he as clinging hard and fast to the rock and as the force of the water came over him and left he gripped even harder. It was only when the tide came in the full way to submerge him and gently rock him that he let go and allowed himself to be carried away to another place.  He unlocked and trusted the water to return him again when ready, but he had to trust.

I find that so often I want the parents I work with to trust me to know what is best for their child, but until I lovingly show them that I’m not going to just be like the harsh waves of the incoming tide and try to pry their release, they will not.  In a way I have to surround them like the full tide that is calm rather than the in and out of the swift tide.  They do not always know and sometimes can’t understand where I want to take their child.  They have dreams, but I’ve seen it happen over and over with many children and I know how to help get them there.  This too is a journey that I hope others will join me for in working with and supporting parents when they need it most.

I highly admire and respect parents who raise children with different abilities, I want to help you.